Which Renal Cancer Therapy Do Patients Prefer?

Although the broad use of tyrosine kinase inhibitors has made a substantial impact on the management of advanced, primarily clear cell renal cancer, these agents are not curative, and their adverse effects — including fatigue, hypertension, thyroid dysfunction, and gastrointestinal toxicity — can have a significant impact on a patient's quality of life. Sunitinib and pazopanib have both been approved for the initial management of metastatic disease and have been shown in a head-to-head comparison to provide similar progression-free and overall survival benefits, although with different toxicity profiles in selected domains (NEJM JW Oncol Hematol Aug 21 2013).

To better understand patient perceptions of the toxicity associated with these agen…